Smartype | Domain Name Registration Smartype Website Design Brisbane

Domain Name Registration

www.yourname.com.au

The first step in getting a site on the Web is to decide on a name for your domain and the extension that will work best for your business. Despite the latest releases of new top-level domain extensions, the best ones to use remain the established staples: ·

If your customers are mostly Australian based, they will generally assume your site is .com.au- therefore this is the best to use;
If you are aiming for an international market, .com is preferable (but Australian users will assume you're American).
Not a business? Think you may be better served with a .org, .net, .edu, .info or .biz? Thinking of covering all bases and getting multiple domains to point to the one site?

Domain name pricing
.com.au domain names cost $140 to register for 2 years.*

Beware of unsolicited domain name renewal notices

There has recently been a spate of unscrupulous operators mining the AUNIC database for personal details of people registered as domain name owners. Despite what they are promising, this practice is NOT endorsed by auDA. Some companies are taking ownership and contact details from the web to try and trick businesses into renewing their domain name account through them. As you may be aware, legislation is lagging well behind these online scams and is scrambling to keep up. The laws to stop this practice are coming, but until then we would like you to be informed about what to look out for. Registering an Australian domain name allows you to maintain exclusive rights to a URL for a period of 2 years (http://www.yourname.com.au). At the end of this period, you are then given the option of renewing this name or allowing it to expire. auDA has the sole rights to issue and renew domain names in Australia. You will be informed by an accredited registrar (for a list of these visit www.auda.org.au) as the expiry date draws close and should not be panicked into renewing through an unassociated body. If Smartype are your representative for the administration of online details, we will keep you informed as to the status of your domain name account and help you to renew your account as it becomes necessary. We do this to keep track of all your details for ease of administration and as a bonus service to you. When on-selling domain names, Smartype offers you the retail price available through auDA. If you have any questions about this practice, please call us before changing your domain name details. We are happy to talk you through the issues involved to make sure you stay informed, maintain control and get the best deal possible.

CONSUMER ALERT - distributed by AUDA. The licenced administrator of .com.au domain names.

Internet Registry Pty Ltd Mail out contains inaccurate information.

auDA has become aware that a company called Internet Registry Pty Ltd (Internet Registry) is sending out incorrect information to domain name registrants. The mail out, headed “IMPORTANT NOTICE”, contains numerous inaccuracies. Chief amongst these is the following statement: “Secure your domain with Internet Registry in the new system before 31st July. Any existing registration period for your domain will be added to your two year registration!” This statement could be taken to mean that registrants can renew their existing .au domain name for a period longer than 2 years. THIS IS INCORRECT. Domain names in .au can only be licensed for 2 year periods and cannot be renewed until 90 days before they are due to expire. Registrants should be wary of paying for renewal at any earlier time. Please see auDA's previous Consumer Alert (23 Mar 2002) about early renewals. auDA has lodged a complaint about Internet Registry with the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC).

Protecting yourself

Registrants should be aware that only auDA Accredited Registrars and their appointed resellers are bound to abide by the Code of Practice and auDA’s published policies. Registrants should be wary of dealing with organisations that are not Accredited Registrars or their appointed resellers. See the list of auDA Accredited Registrars. A list of appointed resellers will be published at the beginning of August.

Pricing

Since the introduction of competition, consumers now have a range of price and service offerings to choose from. auDA strongly encourages registrants to compare prices charged by Accredited Registrars and their appointed resellers. If you believe you have been misled or deceived into renewing your domain name license to your disadvantage, then you should contact the ACCC. The ACCC is responsible for administering the Trade Practices Act 1974, which contains prohibitions against certain types of misleading or deceptive conduct. Contact details are available on the ACCC website.

How to make a complaint

Download and complete the Complaints Form, then send it to auDA:

by email: info@auda.org.au
by fax: 03 9349 5711
by mail: 107 Faraday St, Carlton VIC 3053

*Smartype is a channel partner with Melbourne IT- the OFFICIAL LICENCED distributor of the .com.au extension. Ensure your domain is registered correctly by insisting the company you use to perform this function be associated with AusRegistry.